Fractured Fairy Tales: Alice in Wonderland
by LexiTeal
Summary: Other people with mysterious marks on their skin, like me. Magic. It was all so new and exciting… Life had been so normal just a few days ago… My smile dropped and I lowered my eyes to the floor. And now suddenly I'm an amnesiac murderer with unimaginable powers that I don't even know how to control…
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything involving Alice in Wonderland; I am simply twisting the story to present one of my own.**

 **Welcome to my fractured fairytale: Alice in Wonderland. If you are expecting the typical "Alice falling down a rabbit hole" story, don't. Because it's not. It's more than that. You'll see.**

I was born with a mark at the base of my neck. People always tell me that it looks like a purple crescent moon. To me, it looks like a smile. My name is Shane Lewis and I just turned eighteen. I'm finally on my own in the world, or rather, worlds.

Chapter 1:

I looked up as purple squares fell from the sky all around me. All of it seemed so surreal... I smiled as I looked at everyone beside me. We made it. We survived.

We graduated!

Our caps came raining back down on us, my friend Nickgetting hit in the face by his. I couldn't help but laugh. We were all giddy from our newfound freedom.

"Not funny, Shane!" he laughed, shoving me playfully into a small group of graduates beside us. One of the girls I ran into looked over her shoulder at me, obviously annoyed. I sighed, and mumbled an apology. The grumpy red-head just glared at me for a moment before her eyes flickered down to where the mark on my neck was. I shifted uncomfortably and quickly readjusted my purple graduation gown to cover the mark. She raised her eyebrows and then rudely whipped her curly head back around to chat with her friends.

Tricia Stanley. This is the last day I will ever have to see her snobby face in my life. Good riddance. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Nick. I have to cover up another laugh with a cough when I see him doing a pretty awful job trying to flirt with a pretty girl from our class. He stood there awkwardly trying to find the right words to say. Oh boy. I walked over to where my friend was standing and casually nudged him in the side.

"Huh?" he turned to look at me, briefly distracted. I looked at the girl and then back at him, "Sorry to interrupt, but someone is looking for us, Nick," I lied. "Here," I said, scribbling on one of the graduation programs, "Here's his number, I'm sure you guys could finish your conversation at another time?" I ask, handing her the program and smiling politely. She took the paper and smiled shyly at Nick before turning around, melting into the throng of people. Then I caught Nick's eye and we both walked off, away from the crowd.

"There's no one looking for us, is there?" he asked dryly when he was sure that no one could hear us. "Nope. Not unless you count my mother," I joked. "Speaking of which, we're going to be late to the party if we wait much longer. Let's go."

As we walked out of the ceremony, Nick looked over at me, "Thanks back there. About Aubrey."  
"Oh, is that her name? No problem man, I'm sure you would've done the same for me," I said, running my fingers through my hair. Confetti had coated everything once our principle had finished his final speech, and now everyone had it in their hair. And I didn't particularly like having sparkly specs of purple in my hair.

The crowd outside was massive as we weaved our way to my family. Nick came with me; in a way, was part of the family too. He lived in a foster home with five other siblings. Needless to say, he would rather hang out at my place most of the time. I was an only child, so it was nice to have a friend that hung around a lot.

We finally made our way over to where my mother and father were standing beside the family car. I really looked nothing like my parents. They both had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a rather tan-colored skin tone. Me? I have messy white-blonde hair, grey eyes, and very pale skin.

The two of us piled into the back of the old, blue minivan, my parents getting into the front."You excited for the party tonight, honey?" my mom asked me cheerfully.

"Uh, yeah! I can't wait," I said. "Well, the small sandwich shop downtown is catering the food for the party, so we'll have to stop by to pick it up on the way home. I hope you don't mind, Nick?" she asked in her sweet motherly voice.

"Of course not! Thanks for giving me a ride, Mrs. Lewis!" Nickolas answered. I turned in my seat and pressed my face against the cool, smooth window. The traffic seemed to be moving really slowly. About ten minutes later, we finally escaped from the parking lot and made our way to the little sandwich shop. Nick and I stayed in the car as my parents went in to grab the food.

Not even a minute after they left the car and went inside, I sensed something strange was happening. I was about to voice my unease to Nick when all of a sudden his eyes roll back in his head and he slumps forward. "Nick!" I screamed.

Right then, a dark purple smoke begins to seep into the car, rising slowly up the sides of the car and towards me. There is a sharp click as I hear the car door beside me unlock. My heart begins to race when I see a dark, shadowy figure right beside the door, slowly reaching for the handle. This is not normal! The fog begins to reach out in tendrils towards me as the shadow's hand lands on the door handle. I feel a tingling at the base of my neck, where the crescent mark is. The tendrils of purple smoke get closer, and the slight tingle turns into pulses of electricity. It's starting to hurt. The fog is just inches away with the shadow about to open the door when-

The shop door opened with the ring of a tiny bell strapped above the door. My parents stepped outside, carrying multiple sandwich trays for the party. Just like magic, the shadow and the dark purple fog vanished without so much as a trace. Nick takes a gasping breath and blinks open his eyes. "Are you all right?!" I asked, whipping around to stare at him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Are _you_? You look like you've just seen a ghost, man," he said his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Oh, it's nothing. Forget about it. Never mind," I mumbled as my parents got to the car, loading all of the sandwiches in the trunk.

What the heck was that?! I hope I'll never have to find out. Nick doesn't seem to remember passing out... And then when my parents came out of the shop, everything was fine? Something strange is going on, and I have a gut feeling that this was not just some random hallucination.

"Alright! Who's ready to have some fun?! Let's get home and start this party!" my mother cheered. I shakily smiled at her and nodded. _But how could I simply forget what I just saw? What I just felt?_

I put a hand up to the mark. _Was I going mad?_

 **Thank you so much for reading! I can't wait to hear your feedback and continue the story! Can you tell which Alice in Wonderland character he is yet?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the second chapter! Please fav/fol/Review the story if you like it so far! I would really appreciate it!**

Chapter 2:

We pulled up into our driveway and Nick and I helped to bring in the sandwich platters. My hands were trembling still, no matter how hard I tried to stop them. Every now and then, Nick would look over at me, worried from how I had acted in the car.

Soon all of the sandwiches were lined out on the counter along with the drinks and chips. People began to slowly trickle in, socializing with one another. Eventually, the incident at the sandwich shop began to fade into the background as I enjoyed the graduation party.

Nick had walked off to talk to Aubrey as soon as he saw her arrive at the house. I laughed to myself and went over to get another soda from the cooler. That's when I felt a cold hand touch my shoulder, and I shivered involuntarily. I turned around to see Tricia Stanley waiting expectantly. For once, she didn't seem annoyed at my presence. It wasn't like her at all. "What do you want?" I said coldly, turning my back to her as I reached for my can of soda again. I thought I would never have to see her again. _Who invited her anyway?_

Instead of replying to my question, she yanked my shoulder back with incredible strength and forced me to turn and face her again. She was back to her normal, fiery-tempered self. Her red-brown eyes searched my face, "We don't have much time. Follow me."

With that, she whipped around and pushed through a crowd of people, her red hair the last thing I saw before she disappeared into the backyard. _Time for what? Knowing her, she's probably trying to pull a senior prank or something just as stupid. I better go make sure nothing gets broken. Mom would kill me if anything happened to her new patio furniture..._

Leaving the soda on the counter, I step outside and look around. I quickly spot Tricia's usual group of 'friends' hanging around by the pool. It took me a moment to realize that the red-head wasn't with them. Where was she?

I glanced around and noticed her standing in the shadow of a tree at the far corner of our yard. She was impatiently tapping her foot, arms crossed, glancing around as if she was trying to avoid something. Then she spotted me and quickly motioned for me to come to her. _If this is all a prank... I swear... I'm not in the mood._ I slowly headed her way, not really caring whether it irritated her or not.

As soon as I was within arm's reach, she went to grab my arm. I leaped back and glared at her. _What's her problem?_!

"Come with me. We need to leave!" she said, brushing off my hostility. She grabbed my hand - it was just as cold as it had been when she had touched my shoulder in the house a few minutes ago. I yanked my hand away, "What's your problem?! I'm not going anywhere with you!" I said, backing away. _This is weird. She never acts like this. Why is she trying to hold my hand? Why is she wanting to go off alone with me?_ A weird feeling settled in my stomach. Something's not right.

Realizing that I did not understand her, she stopped, looking at me curiously. "Honestly, do you really want the purple smoke to come back? Because it will," she said, her face more serious than I had ever seen it before. My eyes widened, "How did you..." I couldn't even form a question as I recalled the events preceding the graduation party.

"Lucky for you, I had followed your car to the sandwich shop and-" "Why were you following me?!" I stepped further back, my heart hammering like it had when the fog had come into the van. _How was she involved?! Oh, crap! What if she was..._

Before I could finish my thought, she answered me sarcastically, "Oh? Would you rather have been consumed by the purple smoke? You're welcome, _cat_."

"You? ...You're the one that made it go away? What was that?" Then my face paled, "It would have ... _consumed_ me?" I asked, lowering my voice, in case someone was within hearing distance.

"I'll answer all of your questions later. Right now, we need to escape," she said, grabbing my hand and taking off. This time, I didn't refuse.

Then I realized something, "Did you just call me a _cat_?" She paused briefly as she picked the lock on our back gate, "Never mind. I forgot that you don't even know," she said absentmindedly as she took one last glance over her shoulder before opening the gate and pulling me through.

After she closed the gate back, Tricia motioned for me to follow her. Our gate led to a back alley that I used to use as a hiding place when I was little. "This way," she said, turning down another street and quickening her pace. I followed right behind her.

"Tricia, where are we going?" I asked as we turned down several more streets. It was getting dark, and we seemed to be getting further and further away from my house. "First off, that's not my real name. Second, I already told you: I'll answer your questions later," she said, looking both ways before crossing another street. "Keep up."

We crossed several more streets, as well as a few alleys, until we ended up standing in front of an old, abandoned office building at the edge of the town. From the looks of it, nobody had occupied it in years. The blinds were drawn in every window and most of them were boarded up to cover broken glass. The door was crooked and only attached by one hinge. I felt that if I looked at it too long, it would collapse. Not the best place to hang out at dusk on a Friday night. Kinda creepy.

"We're here," she said quietly, double checking that we were all alone. "Get inside- hurry. Before someone sees us." With that, she slipped inside. Taking a deep breath, and wishing that this was all just a really weird dream, I followed her.

 **Again, please fav/fol/review for me! I will try to be as frequent as I can with updates.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three! Thanks for the reviews so far, I enjoy them so much! A lot of information will be revealed in this chapter, so I hope you like it!**

Chapter 3:

"Close the door behind you. We can't have anyone following us," the redhead - that apparently was not named Tricia- said. I obliged and closed the door. It seemed that we were in a long hallway that branched off into different offices. The girl had already begun briskly walking towards one at the far end. As I came to a stop behind her, I looked curiously at the door we now stood in front of. It was different from the other doors which were made of old wood and had cobwebs stretched over them.

This door looked brand new, complete with gold trim around the frame. The wood had intricate carvings, and as I examined it further, I gasped. The carvings _moved_. Different scenes would appear and disappear, fading back into the wooden door as if it had never been there. I couldn't quite make sense of any of the images. They were all very... strange.

The girl yanked the door open and stepped inside, not even glancing back at the mysterious door. I shook my head to clear it, then followed her.

The room itself was strange. Deep red curtains draped heavily from one wall. I don't remember there being a window anywhere near this part of the building... Huh. The floor was made of marble and the other walls were adorned with Corinthian columns. It was as if this was a miniature ballroom at a palace! My eyes then fell upon the center of the room.

The girl was standing there, looking down into a very elegant stone wishing well. I came up beside her and gazed down the well, too. My breath caught. Not too far down, crystal blue water sparkled and splashed around softly like a miniature ocean. But it was far more beautiful than any ocean I had ever seen. And that's saying something- I live in Clearwater, Florida. I've been to a _lot_ of beaches.

As I was staring, captivated by the rippling, cobalt blue water, a voice spoke up right behind me. And it wasn't the girl's.

"Is this him? He doesn't look very dangerous..." the voice said. I quickly whipped around to see who it was. It was a guy about my height. He had jet-black hair with white streaks and skin even paler than mine. He was wearing a white half-sleeve cuffed shirt and black jeans. A golden pocket watch hung from his belt loop.

"Yep. It's definitely him. They came for him this afternoon. We were lucky to find him first," the girl told him, not at all surprised by his presence.

"Would you guys please tell me what the heck is going on?! Who are you guys?" I spoke through gritted teeth. I was tired of all the mystery. I needed some answers.

Both of them looked at me for a moment before the girl spoke up, "How much do you know about the story of Alice and Wonderland?" she inquired, dead serious.

"Uh... The one where the girl accidently falls down the rabbit hole?" I said, wondering where all this was going.

The guy next to me sighed in irritation, "It wasn't an accident. I purposely had her fall through it. They always get the details wrong..." he muttered to himself.

I took a step back. "Don't tell me you guys are... No! That's... that's impossible..." I had backed myself up to the well and stumbled backward. Both of them lunged forward and grabbed my arms before I could fall in. "Listen. I know it's probably hard to accept at first, but I mean come on. You just encountered evil purple fog that tried to kill you. Accepting this should be a breeze," the girl said as they walked me a little ways away from the wishing well.

I took a deep breath and looked at the two of them. "So you are the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland?" I asked, slowly.

"Yes. I am the White Rabbit. I have a name. It's Whit. And no, it's not 'Alice in Wonderland', it's just Wonderland. No Alice," he answered.

"Umm... okay..." I said awkwardly. Then I looked to the girl, "Um, so if you aren't Tricia, then who are you? Are you from Wonderland too?"

She was a lot nicer when she answered me, "That was just a pseudonym that I use when I scout for others in the mortal world. My real name is Aria. I am the Queen of Hearts," she said, turning her wrist over to show me a little red heart symbol. It reminded me of the crescent mark on my neck. I put my hand up to it.

"Whit has a mark too. His is a small, golden hourglass on his ankle. All magical beings from Wonderland have one of these marks. Shane," she said holding my gaze, "You are one of those magical beings."

Her words froze me in place. _How is that possible?_ My life has been nothing but ordinary... Nothing was making any sense...

"Haven't you ever wondered why you look nothing like your parents? Why you have a strange mark with no explanation?" Aria spoke gently, "Shane, those aren't your parents. Magical beings don't have mortal parents. Some, like you, don't have parents at all."

Right then, my mind seemed to shut down. No parents? How...? This doesn't even make sense! Yet, for the first time in my life I felt completely alone. I knew in my heart that she spoke the truth. I really didn't have any parents. I blinked furiously, trying hold back tears that I hadn't shed in ages.

It took a minute before I trusted myself enough to speak again, "Who... Who am I then?" I asked shakily, looking from Aria to Whit and back again.

"I think you already know your answer," she whispered. "Cheshire. I am the Cheshire Cat," I murmured to myself.

Whit nodded silently. "But if the story of Alice is true," I glanced over at Whit, "or mostly true," I corrected, "then why do I not remember it? How could I not even know who I was?"

Suddenly, there was a crash that seemed to come from the front door of the office building. "No time for any more explanations!" Aria yelled hurriedly as her cold fingers grasped my wrist once again. She dragged me back over to the wishing well, and let go of my hand to reach into the pocket of her red leather jacket. Three small vials of frothy, green liquid were procured. Aria handed one to each of us and kept one for herself.

Taking it, I saw that the words 'Drink me' were etched into the side of the little glass bottle. "Cheers," Aria muttered, uncorking the bottle and gulping down the contents. I lifted mine to do the same. As the foamy, green liquid flooded my mouth, the door to the room burst open off its hinges and purple smoke began to tumble in. I choked on the putrid taste as I felt someone shove me from behind. I lost my footing and fell headfirst into the wishing well, the rest of the potion dropping from my hand. I just had time to see the green liquid dissolve in the water before I splashed in myself. I heard two splashes near me and then I was violently pulled under by a massive whirlpool that dragged us down the wishing well.

The water, now a dark blue, swirled in thick currents all around me. _I didn't drink all of the potion!_ My chest started to burn for air while the currents constricted around me, dragging me further and further away from the surface. Soon, my vision began to get blurry as I continued to suffocate. The last thing I felt was the deepening pressure of the water as I began to lose consciousness. Then I blacked out.

 **So... how is it so far? If you have any questions/suggestions feel free to write a review! ;) I read every single one of them. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright guys! I'm changing it up! This one will start from Aria (the red head)'s point of view then change to Shane's then back again to Aria's. It kinda has to ... cuz ya know... our main character is unconscious at the moment. ;)**

Chapter 4:

My feet softly land in the white sand. We've made it back to Wonderland. I sighed in relief as Whit landed next to me. I looked around expecting Shane to land as well, but he doesn't appear. I look questioningly at Whit, but he just shrugs his shoulders. "We better go look for him," I mutter as I begin to walk along the beach. Whit started to follow.

The beach began to get rather rocky. I started climbing up the rocks. As I got to the top, my heart plummeted. _Oh dear Lord. Please tell me that he's not dead!_ There below me was Shane, unmoving and lying on the sharp, jagged rocks. He was soaking wet as well. _The potion should have kept him dry!_ I quickly maneuvered my way down the rocks and kneeled at his side. "Shane? Shane!" I yelled, gently shaking his shoulder. He wouldn't respond. I first put my ear to his chest, then reached down to grab his wrist and checked for a pulse. Nothing. "Whit! Help me carry him onto the sand! He's not breathing!" I cry out.

Whit appears right next to me. Together we carry Shane's body back over the rocks and onto the sand, away from the lapping waves. _Alright. Time to see if that stupid health class has paid off._ I take a pocket knife out of my red leather jacket and cut open his shirt. I clasp my hands together and begin to give him CPR. _This was so much less stressful when I had been practicing this on a dummy!_ After thirty compressions I gently tilted his chin back and brought my lips to his. As I breathed for him, I could see his chest go up and down. _It's working!_ I give him a few more breaths.

 *** * Back to Shane's PoV * ***

The first thing I felt was a soft, warm sensation on my lips. Then I felt something push roughly against my chest and I gasped, coughing. I blinked open my eyes and I saw Aria hovering over me, with her hands resting on my chest. Her face instantly flushed up to her ears as she turned her head away from me, hiding her face. "You idiot. I thought you were dead," she mumbled, glancing back at me. Then she gasped as we locked eyes, "Shane. Your eyes! They're... _purple_ ," she said, her face now right in front of me. She slowly brought her hand up to brush away a strand of hair that was in front of my eyes. A sharp cough sounded and she leapt away, her face reddening again. I winced as I turned my head to see that it had been Whit who made the sound. The moment I moved my head, I suddenly felt a sticky warmth. Then I felt a sharp pain jolt through my head as I let out a moan.

Whit's eyes widen, "Aria. He has a pretty bad gash on the back of his head. He must have hit it against the rocks when he landed."

Aria quickly grabs my shirt and rips a strip off of it, but my head hurts too much to complain. "Quick, Whit. Go grab one of those fruit pods from that tree!" she pointed behind me. I heard footsteps recede and then come back. He hands her a large, coconut-sized fruit. However it was not a coconut. This fruit had brilliant sunset colors. My vision starts to blur. She swiftly flicks open a pocket knife and slices the top off of the fruit. Then she dips the white strip of cloth in and back out. Aria looks back at me, "Okay Shane. I'm going to lift your head. This fruit has water in it so I soaked part of your shirt. Let me clean your wound," she said, lifting my head off of the ground.

I winced again in pain, but I was still too weak to move by myself. The cloth was softly pressed against my head as I felt it sting some more. I closed my eyes as she continued to hold the cloth to my head. Their voices slowly began to muffle as I lost consciousness once more.

 *** * Aria's PoV * ***

As I firmly held the cloth piece to his wound, Shane became unresponsive again. _At least he was breathing this time,_ I thought. The makeshift gauze soon was a deep red from his blood. It's a lot worse than I had thought... I motioned for Whit to tear off another piece of Shane's shirt for me. We obviously can't move him any time soon. It's too much of a risk. I grabbed the second piece of cloth and added it to the first, carefully applying a slight bit of pressure in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Whit then decided to wander off, saying he would go collect some branches to build a fire.

In the meantime I sat and watched over Shane. My heart fluttered at I looked down at his sleeping face. _It doesn't count as I kiss if I was just saving his life... does it?_ I wondered as I subconsciously brought my fingertips up to my lips. As I watched him, I saw his face grimace and his hand curl into a fist before he relaxed again. _I wonder what had happened? Did he not drink all of the potion I had handed him? If that was the case... he should be dead. Even magical beings as powerful as him..._ I shuddered trying not to think of that outcome.

I had a small smile on my face as I recalled some of our previous encounters. Encounters where Shane thought of me as Tricia Stanley, the popular, snobby, rich girl with an annoying attitude. _Heck, I annoyed myself!_ I thought.

I'm glad he could see the real me now. Even if I was the Queen of Hearts. I sighed my chest tightening as I still gazed at his face. He probably still hates me like he did when he knew me as Tricia. For all he knows I'm this crazy person who has suddenly kidnapped him, gave him a mysterious concoction, and told him to jump down a wishing well because evil purple smoke was trying to kill him! I groaned silently. Not to mention the fact that the Queen of Hearts is infamously known for the whole "Off with your head!" thing...

All of a sudden a chilly breeze swept through the beach. I saw Shane shudder from the cold. I looked up. _Shoot! It's already sunset! It's almost dark..._ I quietly walked over beside Shane and took off my jacket, draping it over him. He stopped shivering. I kneeled down and softly brushed the sand from his hair with my fingers. Before I knew it, I began humming. Whether it was to him or just to myself, I did not know. And frankly, I did not care either.

As I sat there next to him I remembered the change in his eyes. His eyes, originally a dark and stormy grey, were now a captivating and mystical purple. Suitable for the Cheshire Cat, of course. But I wonder... could he already be regaining his powers? If he is, that's... scary. I couldn't even fathom what would have happened if the shadows had gotten to him first!

Just then, Whit came back with an armful of branches. He sat them down close to us and piled them up in the shape of a cone before using a lighter that he took out of his pant pocket.

I watched, entranced, as the blue-green flames danced and flickered in the darkening sky. One would think it is this color due to the magic inhabiting Wonderland, but in reality, the wood was covered in sea salt from being so close to the ocean. This salt is what turned the flames a magnificent blue-green.

Whit left and came back with three smaller fruit pods. These were a soft yellow. He handed two of them to me and kept one for himself. Taking my pocket knife, I cut one of them in half. _I better wake Shane up to eat..._ I looked down at his sleeping form before I slowly shake his shoulder. His eyes open blurrily and he blinks a few times before he seems to focus on me. A slight blush reddens his cheeks. I felt my face get hot before I look down at the piece of fruit in my hand. I then hold it up to show Shane, who still could not move his head, "I have some dinner for you. It's just fruit for tonight..." I said. Hearing me, he tried to sit himself up, but I gently held him down. "Don't move. You still have that bad gash on your head, dummy. Let me feed you."

At that. he made a face, but did not refuse my offer. I brought the fruit up to his mouth and squeezed the juice, letting it flow down his throat. After the first half of the fruit was drained, I grabbed the other half and went to bring it to him. This time, he placed his hand on the fruit and feebly shoved it away. His eyes closed again and he slipped back into unconsciousness. My heart constricted as I looked at him worriedly. _I hope he'll be alright..._ I slowly bent down and gave him a tender kiss on the forehead, "Goodnight, Shane," I murmured softly, "Sweet Dreams."

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you guys think or if you guys have any suggestions/ideas for the future. I love your feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

**My apologies if there were a lot of glitches in the previous chapter. For some reason when I went into edit mode, it created a bunch of errors. Anyway, hopefully that is fixed. (If not, sorry. I tried.) Back to Shane's PoV. Here's the next chapter:**

Chapter 5:

There was a dull ache at the back of my head. I had the strangest dream last night... I got kidnapped by characters from Wonderland, I was the Cheshire Cat, and then I was pushed down a whirlpool. And purple fog was trying to kill me. Can't forget that. Someone put their cold hand to my forehead as if checking for a fever. _Maybe I was sick. That would explain my headache and weird dream._

I gradually opened my eyes and found myself looking up at a clear blue sky. _What? Why am I outside?_ "Whit! He's waking up!" I heard a familiar voice call. _Wait... Then that means... That wasn't a dream!_

My head throbbed as I brought my hand up to feel the cloth that was there. Aria lurched forward and pulled my hand away, "Careful. You hit your head pretty hard when we landed yesterday," she said. _Landed? Landed where? The last thing I remembered was falling into that wishing well. What happened?!_

I scrambled to sit up when I realized that my shirt was completely shredded. "What happened?!" None of this made any sense. I didn't remember anything. Aria helped me to sit up and carefully removed the fabric from my head. She sighed in relief, "It's looking a lot better," she sighed.

Her gaze then flickered to my face, which I am sure looked quite confused. "Did you drink all of the potion I gave you?" she inquired.

Realization dawned on me. _Oh._ I shook my head, then winced. _Slowly, memory of what happened following my trip down the wishing well began to resurface in my mind._ "That's what I thought," she mumbled, "But then why are you still alive?" she breathed. Apparently she thought I couldn't hear her. My heart started hammering. _I should be dead?_ Why wasn't I? So many questions spun in my head, adding to the pain.

"Why... Why should I be... dead?" I asked, shakily. Aria's eyes widened and she leaned closer, as if wondering how I had heard her. Her eyes stared intently at mine. _Was it that strange that I had heard her mumbling to herself?_ I turned my face away as Whit came up from behind her, "He's regaining his magical abilities. But even then..." Whit frowned and knelt beside Aria. "Can you stand?" he asked. I nodded, clenching my teeth from the pain, and slowly stood. The other two stood as well, Aria placing her hand on my shoulder to stabilize me. "Thanks," I mumble.

"Alright," Whit said, looking at his pocket watch, "They are expecting us back at Headquarters by midday," then he glanced at me, "We need to call the Bandersnatch. He won't be able to walk far in his condition." Aria looked nervous, "The Bandersnatch?"

I looked between the two, "Who is 'the Bandersnatch'?" I ask cautiously.

"I guess you could call him Aria's pet. Sort of. He looks like this big, white hyena with a bulldog face. He's like her guard dog," Whit explained.

I shifted from foot to foot. I never really liked dogs _... I guess that makes sense now that I know that I am the Cheshire Cat..._

Aria lifted a small, wooden whistle that was looped on a chain around her neck. I saw Whit quickly plug his ears. She blew into it hard. An earsplitting, shrill sound erupted from the tiny piece of wood. I cringed, dropping to the ground and clutching my ears, praying for it to stop. And as quick as it had started, the sound ceased. Two pairs of eyes were staring at me.

"You can hear it too?" Whit gasped. I was still clutching my head as I nodded silently. I wish I _hadn't_ heard it. "He is regaining his powers a whole lot faster than we had intended..." I heard him mutter as I stared down at my feet, buried halfway in the sand. _How did my life get so messed up in such a short amount of time?_

Suddenly there was a loud rustling in the trees before a huge creature leapt out in front of us. I jerked my head up, ignoring the shot of pain that pulsed down my spine. The thing was massive. He had coarse, white fur that was dotted with brown spots. His face was kind of droopy to remind me of a bulldog. There was a large, red, spiked collar around his neck with the name 'Murphy' inscribed into the metal tag. He... he must be Aria's Bandersnatch. I gulped. Great.

"Come here, boy!" Aria called sweetly with a hint of nervousness that I did not miss. The dog turned his head and bounded over to its master as she reached out to scratch behind its ears.

"Murphy, meet Shane. Shane, this is Murphy," there was a pause, "Please don't kill each other," she added.

The huge hyena-bulldog focused its attention on me. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as it continued to stare me down. One thought fleetingly crossed my mind: _Why couldn't she have had a pet Dodo bird instead?!_

The Bandersnatch began to creep forward, never taking its eyes off of me. I saw Whit in the corner of my vision shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

It's obsidian-black eyes glinted as the beast got even closer. By now, he was near enough where I could _smell_ the thing. Without warning, the Bandersnatch crouched low to the ground, all weight on his back legs, before he lunged. At me. I squeezed my eyes shut. _Oh, crap! I'm too young to die!_

 ***** Now back to the 'normal' world with Nick's PoV (Shane's best friend) *****

I had left Shane when I saw Aubrey walk into the house. _Now's my chance!_ I walked over to her and she shyly waved at me. I smiled and waved back. But then one of her friends tapped her on the shoulder and began a conversation _,_ so I turned back around to join Shane. He had disappeared. Where'd he go? Did he go outside?

I opened the back door that lead out to a patio, searching the crowd of people for Shane. Face after face passed by but I couldn't find where Shane was at. Huh. Maybe I missed him inside? I walked back in, running into Aubrey as I did so. She fell against me and I caught her as she looked up at me and I turned beet red. Her friend beside her giggled, putting a hand up to her mouth, "I'll catch ya later, Bree. Seems like you're in good company," she laughed, winking at me before waltzing out the door towards the pool.

I quickly let go and took a step back, "Uh, sorry Bree- I mean Aubrey!" I fumbled nervously. _I feel like a total idiot right now..._ A rosy blush graced her cheeks as she mumbled, "You can call me Bree. You wanna go inside and get a drink with me?" I smiled and nodded. _I can find Shane later..._

 **So, how do you guys like it so far? Just remember, no matter when I posted or what chapter I am on, feel free to leave a review for any of them! I read and appreciate them all.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the feedback guys! Keep it up! Alright: Back to Shane in Wonderland.**

Chapter 6:

The Bandersnatch leaped forward, its paws colliding against my shoulders, knocking me roughly backwards. I stumbled before regaining my balance and realized with a shock that the animal was nuzzling my arm, ducking his head under my hand. He… wanted me to pet him. I let out a breath of relief. I wasn't gonna end up as puppy chow after all.

I obliged and began to pet the weird bulldog-hyena on the head. I glanced over to see Aria sighing with relief, "Murphy. Time to ride," she commanded. Murphy immediately crouched low, looking up at me expectantly. "Go on," Aria encouraged, "It's just like riding a horse. Sort of."

Nodding my head, I hoisted myself up to sit on the Bandersnatch like I would a horse. Not having a reign, I knotted my fingers into his thick, coarse fur below his spiky, red collar. And with that, the three of us took off into the woods. Aria was jogging to keep pace with Murphy's leisurely trot. Whit seemed to keep up with ease.

Silence engulfed the three of us as we weaved our way through the increasingly think forest. It was a beautiful scenery: brilliant green leaves decorated the trees with golden beams of light shining through, speckling the forest floor with sunshine. I could sense the creatures that inhabited the forest, staring out at the four of us as we journeyed. They seemed… scared. Huh. Maybe it's the Bandersnatch.

"So…" I said, trying to break the growing silence, "Where exactly are we going?" Whit glanced sideways at me before he stiffly answered, "Not here. We don't know what other ears are listening." With that he went silent and I went back to focusing on my surroundings. The deeper we got into the forest, the closer the trees were to each other and the darker it seemed to get.

After a while of traveling, the trees gathered so close that there was no more sunlight to dapple the forest floor. It was kinda spooky.

By then, Aria had tired from jogging to keep pace and had taken a seat behind me on the Bandersnatch. At some point while we were riding, she had slipped her arms around my waist to keep from falling.

I yawned, glancing over at Whit who was still keeping pace next to Murphy. He seemed to be getting increasingly irritated as we journeyed further through the forest. I would hear him mutter under his breath, but I couldn't catch what he was saying. Aria didn't even notice. Maybe she didn't have good enough hearing.

As we continued to wander in silence, I began to reflect on what Aria and Whit had said. We were going to some sort of 'headquarters'. Traveling from my world to Wonderland should have killed me. My powers are coming back earlier than expected. I was dangerous. And an evil, dark mist, tinted with the color purple, was out to get me. And Mom thought _she_ had a rough start after graduating high school... Oh. That's right. Not my Mom. I don't have a mom. Apparently I never did. Thoughts of my old life flashed in my mind like old memories. It seemed so long ago since I've seen them... but it was only yesterday. And now my whole life has been turned upside down. As I was caught up in my scrambled thoughts, the trees began to spread out, if only slightly.

Then, we suddenly broke through a line of trees and into a clearing. What I saw then made my jaw drop. A hundred yards in front of us was a large, crystal-clear moat... surrounding an enormous castle that one would only find in a fairytale. I guess that makes since... since I'm kinda in a fairytale now.

Stone and brick turrets spiraled up high over the treetops. Thousands of windows cast sparkling gleams as they reflected the sunlight shining overhead. Directly in front of us, a drawbridge was drawn up, securing the main entrance into the castle.

"Welcome to Headquarters, Shane," Aria murmured from behind me.

She soon dismounted from the Bandersnatch and I was quick to do the same. With a pat on the head, she sent him off, into the woods once more. I turned my attention back to the castle towering over us.

We had stepped up to the clear waters of the moat. Looking down, I saw that the bottom was sprinkled with a vast amount of golden coins. I gasped as I saw one slowly fade away until it was completely gone. Then another. I looked up at Aria, amazed.

She laughed at my bewilderment and reached into her red leather jacket to pull out a small brown pouch. Pulling on the drawstrings, she opened it up to reveal more of those same golden coins. She handed one to Whit and one to me. Then she took one for herself and placed the pouch back inside her jacket.

"These," she said, holding up her coin, "are the only way to get into the castle. Toss them in, and you the drawbridge will lower to let you inside. Got it?"

I nodded."Why do some of them disappear?" I wondered.

"We only have so many golden coins. They are enchanted, so that when mixed with the moat's magical waters, they transport back inside the castle to be used again. NEVER leave the castle without them," she warned.

"Now, toss them," she instructed, letting hers fall from her fingertips and sink down to the bottom of the moat. Whit and I tossed ours as well. There was a subtle rumbling as the drawbridge slowly lowered across the moat. As the drawbridge touched our side of the moat, small floating orbs of fire appeared and lit up both sides of the drawbridge. I followed them across, trailing behind to marvel at what I saw. Now that it was closer, I recognized the intricate carvings of the office door matched the carvings engraved upon the bridge. The bridge, just like the door, was a dark wood, embroidered with gold leaf. And again, the pictures _moved_. Pulling my eyes from the carvings, I trotted to catch up to Whit and Aria.

Together we walked through the entrance to this grand castle that they called Headquarters. The inside, if possible was even more stunning.

Gazing up, I saw a domed ceiling with an intricate gold pattern. And right in the middle: A diamond chandelier. The diamonds seemed to shatter the sunlight that came in through the long windows. Velvet curtains cascaded down from the ceiling to the floor, perfectly framing each window. It almost seemed as if that room with the wishing well was a part of the castle.

That's when I noticed the dozens of people wandering around the castle. A buzzing hum was heard as they all went about their separate businesses.

"Citizens of Wonderland," Aria suddenly called out. Everyone slowed down and stopped to look at us, still standing in the entryway, "I introduce to you Shane Lewis. The Cheshire Cat," she announced.

The crowd began to murmur in shock and... fear? excitement? It was hard to tell. But everyone was staring at me. And it was making me very uncomfortable. I was never one to like all the attention. I ran my fingers nervously through my messy, white hair.

Then the crowd gasped, Aria and Whit turning around to look at me. One girl in the crowd shouted, "Where'd he go?!"

 _What was she talking about? I haven't moved. I'm still standing right here..._

"He's disappeared!" Another one shouted.

Whit's eyes darkened with understanding. "He's regained his powers."

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	7. Chapter 7

**So... do you guys actually like the story so far? Because I honestly have no idea. It's kinda discouraging... Well anyway, here's chapter 7. Please tell me if you like it. Fav/follow the story to be notified of chapter updates!**

Chapter 7:

I looked at Whit in confusion before I glanced down at my hands. _They were gone!_ I looked down at my body to see that it wasn't there either... _I was freakin invisible!_ For a moment I just stood there, grasping this new situation. A small smile spread across my lips as I realized that no one could see me. Curiosity overcame me and I snuck over to where Aria was standing, shifting from foot to foot and glancing wearily around the room.

I slipped behind her and put my hands over her eyes, just to see what would happen. At first, she screamed. She soon realized that it was me and shoved my hands away as I chuckled. She spun around to look at me, "There you are!"

"Yup. You caught me," I sighed, in mock disappointment. "Now I just need to figure out how to turn back to normal…" I muttered. Before I had even finished my sentence, I saw that I was already turning visible once more.

The crowd that had gathered before us jumped in surprise at my reappearance. Loud murmurings rumbled through the crowd as some of them stole quick glances in my direction. "Just out of curiosity," I asked, choosing to ignore the astonished looks of the others, "what happened when I put my hands over your eyes? Since, you know, I was invisible?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "I literally saw nothing. It was as if nothing existed. But it wasn't dark… it was just… weird," Aria said, for lack of a better word.

I grinned and examined my hands, making sure that they were definitely back to normal. Whit came up to stand by Aria as she added, "Now that you've regained your powers, you'll need to learn how to control them. I'm sure your memory will come back quickly as well; it usually comes back a day or two after one's powers are fully regained."

Aria's eyes lit up, "Whit! We can train him to become a scout! Like us!" she smiled. Whit on the other hand, stared at Aria for a moment before pulling her off to the side, "Aria!" he hissed, "How can you trust him? He's dangerous and could quite possibly destroy everything around him! And you want to _train_ him?! You _know_ what is written in the scrolls," he pauses, and in an even lower voice, murmurs, "You and I both know that he should be _dead_. He doesn't belong here. He doesn't belong anywhere," he growled. As I listened to what he said, my heart stopped _._ My throat tightened as I registered his words. _He must not know that I can still hear them…_

Aria's smile faltered and Whit stepped away, glanced at the crowd, and then stormed off down the hallway, parting the sea of people that had continued to gather around us.

The crowd mumbled in confusion over his sudden exit. Unlike me, they must not have heard their conversation. Aria slowly looked up at me and our eyes met. She must have seen the pain and confusion in my eyes that I was trying to hide. _Great, now she knows that I heard them._ She hesitantly stepped forward, and I backed away shaking my head. I numbly blocked out the pain that still throbbed in the back of my head from my injury.

"Shane," Aria whispered, her eyes wide, "Shane. He didn't mean that. You _do_ belong here. You _are_ one of us." I clenched my fists and looked down before looking back at her, "I'm supposed to be dead," I say in a strangled voice, as I try to keep myself calm. It wasn't a question, but I looked at her for a response just the same.

Her hesitation said it all. _I_ _was __supposed to be dead. And yet somehow I'm not._ Pain suddenly flashed in my head again and I touched the back of my head, wincing. Aria noticed this and her face relaxed, "Come on. Let me show you where the dormitories are. You need rest. We can talk more later," she said softly.

My head throbbing too much to nod, I just walked over to her and followed as she lead the way down the grand hallway. I tried to ignore the stares that followed. But I couldn't shake the burning feeling as dozens of eyes stared in my direction. My fingertips had started to turn transparent, but I willed them to stay visible. I was determined not to turn invisible again. I'll show Whit that I _can_ control my powers. That they _can_ trust me.

As I followed Aria down several corridors that branched off from the main hall, I began to notice the décor that lined the walls. Paintings of various royal families were plastered on canvases and framed in gold. Every now and then we would pass by displays of shields and fancy armor that adorned the hallways. At every door, globes of fire floated on either side of the entrance, burning with an eternal flame. They were the same fiery orbs that appeared on the drawbridge.

The ache in my head seemed only to grow as we continued through the hallways. Rather than due to the injury, the pain seemed to be sourced from somewhere else. From where, I had no idea. Aria began to slow down and fished a ring of tiny, silver keys from her belt loop. She removed one key and handed it to me. Trying to block out the internal pain that I felt, I accepted the key. "This," she nodded to the door we now stood in front of, "is your new room. Number 18. Corridor 65." I nodded and stepped forward to open the door, eager to lie down and rest. Aria put a hand to my shoulder and stopped me, "Before you go in, there's something else you should know. You have a roommate. We are all paired up: Usually one who's older pairs with one who is younger. Your roommate is a little boy named Pippin. He's no older than six. Just… be careful… Okay?" Her red-brown eyes locked with mine, searching. "I promise," I said, resolving to show her and Whit and everyone else that I _did_ belong here… I just needed to work on convincing myself first.

Her face broke out into a grin and she rose up on her toes, giving me a swift kiss on the cheek before whisking around and disappearing down another corridor. My face reddened and I took a deep breath before placing the little key into the doorknob. There was a flash of light that emitted from the keyhole before the door swung open on its own. I removed the key and shoved it into my pocket before stepping into my new room.

The first thing I noticed were two beds: one on either side of the room. Each bed was accompanied by a nightstand and a dresser. There was a bathroom off to my left and a small kitchenette off to my right. It very much reminded me of a college dorm room suite.

A small squeak sounded from the bed to my right. I dragged my gaze back to the bed to see the little boy, Pippin, wrapped up in a heap of blankets, sitting on the bed. He had mousy, brown hair that stood up in random places, obviously ruffled from lying in bed. The boy's big, round eyes were a soft grey, painfully reminding me of how mine used to look. But now mine are a vivid purple... according to Aria anyways.

The boy quickly scurried out of his bed and stood up, a small teddy bear clutched in his fists. As he looked up at me, a goofy grin spread across his cherubic, little face. "My name's Pippin!" he squealed excitedly, "But you can call me Pip. That's what everyone here calls me," he said in his childlike voice. His eyes fell on the mark at the base of my neck. I tensed. His big eyes then flickered up to my face, lingering on my eyes, before he giggled.

"You're gonna be the best big brother ever!" he chirped, running up to me and wrapping his tiny little arms around my waist, his little teddy bear still dangling in his fist.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Two updates in one week! I hope you guys like the chapter, please tell me what you think!**

Chapter 8:

I awkwardly patted the little boy on the head. He brought his face to look up at me, "I can tell you are a good guy. I just know it! Everyone is scared that you will be bad, but I know you are good. I can feel it." He hugged me once more before pulling back, grabbing my hand and dragging me to sit on the bed with him. I smiled at the boy's enthusiasm and tried to ignore the growing pain in my head.

Pip scrambled up onto the bed beside me and pulled his feet up, resting his chin on his knees. He watched me from sideways with a look of awe, "What's it like?" he whispered after a while.

His question took me by surprise, "What's what like?" The boy looked up at me, "Being the Cheshire Cat of course! What's it like in the modern world? Do your powers work there too?" he gushed, clutching his teddy bear and looking at me expectantly.

I shifted uncomfortably and my eyes were trained on the floor, "It's different. That's for sure. I grew up in the modern world and it's great... but I didn't grow up knowing I was the Cheshire Cat. Aria and Whit said something about my powers returning, so I don't think I had them in my world. I never used them if I did. It's all still really new to me, being the Cheshire Cat."

Pip nodded and then seemed to realize something, "What's your other name? Besides Cheshire?" I grinned and looked down at the eager little boy, "Shane. My name is Shane."

"I like that name. That's a good name." Pip seemed to remember something as his face lit up, "By the way, I'm the dormouse!" he squeaked, showing me a marking that looked very similar to a Mickey Mouse head on the palm of his hand. It was very faint, so you wouldn't really notice it unless someone had pointed it out. "It's not as cool as yours though," he mumbled, his eyes flickering again to the crescent mark on my neck.

Pippin hopped up and turned to me with an excited look in his eyes, "Well, let me show you around! This is my bed, and that one over there is yours," he said pointing his little finger to each bed, "You have a nightstand over here and a closet-thing over there," he said, indicating my dresser, "There's not much clothes in there yet, "he glanced back at me, "but I'm sure it's better than that ripped shirt you have on now!" he snorted, apparently finding my ragged clothes hilarious. I couldn't help but smile at the boy's carefree personality; it was infectious.

"Now get off my bed!" he squeaked, playfully shoving me. I played along and pretended to fall off the bed, "Hey!" I exclaimed, as he burst into a fit of giggles. "Now go put a shirt on!" he laughed, his arms crossed triumphantly. I ran a hand through my hair as I picked myself up off the floor. _I could get used to this. It's nice having a roommate, even if he is a dormouse._ I smirked, and walked over to my dresser, opening it. Inside there were three white shirts hanging up as well as a pair of dark jeans. In the drawers, I found other clothes such as underwear, pajamas, socks, etc. A shoebox was placed next to the dresser. Opening it up, I saw a pair of converse… in my size. Huh. Weird. Checking the shirts and pair of jeans, I realized that they were my size as well. Shrugging, I grabbed the fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom to change.

My old clothes were no longer soaked from the trip to Wonderland, but my shirt was still ripped and my shoes were all but falling apart. I opened the bathroom door and glanced around. Double vanity and a walk-in shower. Not bad. I closed the door and hopped in the shower before I switched into the clean clothes. They fit just right. Satisfied, I glanced up to see my reflection in the mirror. Vibrant purple eyes stared back at me. At that moment the rising ache in my head seemed to scorch with a heightened intensity and I gasped, grasping the edge of the counter with both hands. Memory after memory flashed through my head and the burning pain that I felt only increased. I began to tremble, the pain blinding me. All I could see was white, the pain blazing intensely.

I guess I must have screamed, because seconds later I heard Pippin calling to me from the doorway. I blindly turned towards the door, but collapsed as the pain took over and more memories started to flood back. And then I blacked out. For the second time this week.

The first thing I noticed as I regained consciousness was the lack of pain in my head. I felt soft covers surrounding me and realized I was now lying in my bed. I had no idea how much time had passed since I fell unconscious. My eyes remained shut as I began to notice the voices conversing in the room.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I heard a small voice whimper. "Shh…Shh… He's gonna be just fine. He just regained his memories, that's all," a familiar voice reassured. "B-but, he… he screamed…" Pip sniffled.

There was a heavy silence that followed. I could feel both of them looking down at me.

Flashes of my past began to appear in my head again- memories of Alice, the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit, and even a little bit of the other characters like the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar, and the March Hare. But not the dormouse. Not Pip. I must not have met him before today.

"If he's regained the memories of the Cheshire Cat, then who knows how he is going to react?" I

heard Aria moan, "The Cheshire Cat wasn't exactly known for being... sane."

I heard Pip whimper again and felt a tiny hand cover my own. "He's gotta be okay. He's got to! I need my big brother..." he wailed quietly.

"What if Whit was right after all... He wasn't supposed to gain his memories back so quickly either... and he surely shouldn't have passed out because of it..." Aria murmured to herself, worriedly. Slowly, I was able to pry my eyes open. Blurrily, I saw Aria embracing Pip in a comforting hug. Both of them had yet to notice that I was now awake. I gently squeezed Pip's hand that still rested in mine.

Pip pulled away and looked towards me with wide eyes, "You're awake!" he squealed. Before Aria could stop him, he flung his arms around my neck for a hug. Her hand was half-way extended to pull him back when she met my gaze, "Shane?" she gasped, watching cautiously. I tried to give her a reassuring smile, "Yeah. It's still me," I rasped, my throat dry.

A huge grin spread across her face and her eyes gleamed with relief, all fears seemingly forgotten, "Stop scaring me like that!" She also hugged me around the neck and I chuckled, "Guys... guys, you're making it hard to breathe!" I said, playfully shoving them away.

They both sat back up with goofy smiles plastered on their faces. Gosh, I feel like I've known these guys for years.

"Well, let's go down to the dining hall. It's almost time for supper. And it sounds like you're a bit thirsty," she said, acknowledging my rough-sounding voice. I nodded and gradually sat up. Pip jumped off from where he was sitting on my bed and scuttled over to grab the converse that were by my dresser. He ran back over to me and held the converse out by the shoelaces for me to grab. "Now hurry up and put em' on!" he demanded, with his eyebrows scrunched up, "I'm hungry!"

The three of us burst out laughing and I quickly took the shoes from him and put them on. We were still laughing as we walked down the corridors together, Aria leading the way.


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is a little longer than normal. Small Recap: Shane collapsed after looking at his purple eyes in the mirror, regaining some of his memories of being the Cheshire Cat. Previous chapter ended with Shane, Aria, and Pip heading down to the dining hall for dinner.**

Chapter 9:

We went down several more hallways and a few common areas before the hallway opened up into a massive dining hall. There were no doors, but it didn't need any. People came flooding in from various hallways, all trying to find a seat at one of the long tables. At the far end of the dining hall was a long table that stretched across with no hallways behind it. It was obvious that this was the 'head table' of them all. Aria lead the way past the rows of tables before stopping at one to her left.

"This is your table. Dinner is at sunset, breakfast at dawn, and lunch at midday… Questions?" Aria asked, indicating an empty seat by Pip who had just sat down.

"Um… Is there no way of telling time? Like, besides the position of the sun?" I asked, glancing around to see if I could find a clock somewhere. The only timepiece I remembered seeing was the golden pocket watch that hung on Whit's belt loop.

Aria hesitated before answering, "Time… is different in Wonderland. You'll notice soon enough. Measuring time is rather useless here."

With that she turned around and began walking away. I blinked in surprise, "Wait where- hey!" She turned around to look at me after I called out, raising an eyebrow with a smirk on her face, "I sit over there," she said, nodding to the head table. I felt my face get hot and I averted my eyes, sitting down next to Pip, "Oh."

I watched from my seat as she took her place... At the head of the table.

 _I'm an idiot._

 _How could I not have realized that she was the leader? She even told me that she used to be the Queen of Hearts! I'm such an idiot._

"Woah... Your fingers are disappearing!" Pip marveled, snapping my attention away from Aria. "What are you doing?" He asked in awe. _Dying of embarrassment... Trying to disappear._

"Nothing, buddy. It just happened by accident, that's all," I mumbled, putting my hand to my face and leaning on the table. "That was awesome! Can you do it again? Why is your face so red?" he asked. I groaned.

"Uh, so when are we going to get our dinner?" I asked quickly, trying to distract him. "Dinner? Oh, just whenever you want! The dishes are enchanted- Watch!" he said excitedly before he turned to his empty plate and glass. Pippin squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched up his nose, a look of deep concentration on his little face.

A soft shimmer of light began to form on top of his plate and in his cup. Within seconds, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with potato chips and candy filled his plate. I gasped and looked at his cup which was now filled with what I assume was something like apple juice. "Woah..." I breathed, staring at his plate in wonder. "You can do it too, ya know. Just picture what you want to eat... And there you go! Presto!" he laughed making a little 'magic' hand gesture. I chuckled and closed my eyes like he had done.

I felt a humming energy forming and slowly opened my eyes to see my mother's homemade lasagna and a Dr. Pepper with vanilla. _No way..._

Hesitantly, I grabbed my fork and took a bite of the lasagna. Perfect. It's exactly how Mom always made it. _I mean my adoptive mother._ My throat tightened and set my fork down. _Will I ever see them again? They may not be my biological parents, but they are still my mom and dad... I miss them. A lot._

"What's wrong, Shane? Did you not get what you wanted? Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right." Pip chirped. "No, no. It's... It's perfect, actually. I was just... shocked. That's all."

"Pip... Can I ask you something?" I blurted out, swiveling to look at the young boy.

"Course' ya can, you're my brother now," he mumbled through a mouthful of peanut butter.

I asked softly, "Do you have a mom and dad?"

Some unreadable expression came over the boy's face, "I was found abandoned when I was a baby, left on the side of a pathway in the forest. Aria was the one to find me. I'm not sure who my parents really are, but they don't care about me. So why should I care?" he asked, trying hard to keep a smile on his face. He swallowed and looked down at his now clasped hands, blinking repeatedly to stop from crying.

"Oh Pippin... I had no idea..." I whispered and brought him into a comforting embrace. I felt warm tears seep through my shirt and heard a small, muffled sob. "S..Sorry," he stuttered pulling away and rubbing his fists in his eyes, "I...I didn't mean to-"

"Hey," I said soothingly, catching his fists and gently pulling them away from his tear-stained cheeks, "You're not alone, Pippin. You have people who care about you very deeply. And I am one of them, okay? I'm your brother, remember?" I asked, smiling slightly at the small boy who had immediately befriended me, unconditionally. He nodded sadly, still looking away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I'm just experiencing something similar, myself... I didn't know you had gone through the same thing," I murmured quietly.

His eyes widened and he lifted his face up to peek at me, "Your parents abandoned you too?" he asked in a tiny voice.

"Not quite. I... I just found out yesterday that I actually don't have any parents... at all," I said, Pip burying his face into my shoulder once more.

I patted the back of his head. "Everything's gonna be alright. Let's eat some dinner, okay?" I asked, leaning back and wiping away a tear from his wet cheeks. Pip nodded and picked up his sandwich, taking another big bite. I turned and picked up my fork, shoveling the lasagna in my mouth. It really did taste exactly how Mom used to make it. We sat for a few moments in a content silence, both enjoying our dinner together. All of the people around us seemed to be lost in their own conversations.

As I was eating however, I began to notice the subtle attention that I was attracting from the people around me. Fleeting glances were thrown my way. Because of my new 'enhanced senses' I was, unfortunately, able to actually hear their whispered conversations.

 _"I heard he's the Cheshire Cat- the one with the white hair and purple eyes." "Yeah! Barry saw him arrive. He saw him disappear too. Like, turn invisible." "I heard he passed out and regained his memories." "Thomas told me that he should've been dead!" "Yeah, apparently he survived the portal without the potion!" "Really? Well someone said that he's crazy. Like, mentally insane, crazy." "I heard that Queen Aria_ _kissed __him." "Lucky..."_

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and attempted to cover my face with my free hand, trying to hurry up and finish my food. I hate attention.

Suddenly, a man dressed in red and white came running down the aisle between the rows of tables and stopped right in front of the head table. He stood directly before Aria, "There has been another attack. Soldier C3 has fallen."

Aria narrowed her eyes and set her fork down, "Sound the alarm." Rising up from her seat, she addressed the hall, all eyes on her, "Retreat to your dormitories at once. Activate the shield charm. Soldiers and scouts- come with me."

With that, she stormed down the aisle from which the man in the red and white had come, an essence of power radiating from her that I had never quite felt before. A sea of more red and white trailed after her, followed by another mass of people that I assumed were the scouts. Meanwhile, chaos had erupted all around us. People were flooding in every direction, heading for whichever hallway led to their rooms. Children's cries and worried whispers seemed to vibrate against my ears. I looked down to see Pip staring up at me with worried, brown eyes. He was depending on me. Now I knew why roommate pairings were as they are. It was for situations like this.

Without really realizing what I was doing, I scooped Pippin up into my arms and bolted out of the dining hall, back down the hallway we had entered from. I blurred past the others and in an instant I was standing in front of our door. The hallway was empty besides us; no one had made it this far from the dining hall yet. I fished out my key and jammed it into the doorknob. There was a flash of light, but I didn't wait for the door to open on its own; I shouldered the door open and got us inside, kicking the door closed behind me.

I ran over to Pip's bed and laid him down. He curled up against his pillow, shaking in terror. "Th-the door. P-press your h-hand against it a-and the sh-shield should activate o-on its own," he shuddered. I nodded and sprinted to the door, placing the palm of my hand against it. A dull glow began to spread from where my hand was touching the door. A thin layer of light coated the door and I lifted my hand away. The light spread until it covered the entire room, sealing us in and shielding us from whatever was happening outside. Slowly, the light dimmed and I could just barely see that it was there, but it was; I could feel its powerful hum vibrating in my ear.

I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "How... how did you do that?" a small voice whimpered from behind me.

I spun around and found Pip sitting against the wall, curled up on his bed. "What do you mean? You told me how to activate the shield."

"No... You went like super duper fast!" Pip squeaked, slightly less scared now that the shield was up. "I did?" _I didn't think I was that fast..._ Pip nodded vigorously. "I guess there's more to my power than just invisibility then, huh?" I said, going over and sitting down next to him. A small grin spread across the little boy's face, "Ooh! I know! Let's play hide and seek! You hide first. And don't be easy," he squealed, slapping his hands over his eyes. I looked around. _It's not that big of a room..._ _Don't be easy... Well, if he insists..._ I slowly got up and stood in the corner, allowing myself to disappear.

"Ready or not, HERE I COME!" Pip yelled, jumping off the bed and running around the room, peeking in various hiding spots. I chuckled quietly.

 _I guess if we were under lockdown, we might as well have some fun._


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter. A small recap: Shane and Pip were eating dinner in the dining hall when the entire castle suddenly went into lockdown because one of the Queen's soldiers had been attacked and killed. I have been planning/plotting more of the story, so hopefully chapters will be more frequent in the future! And if you enjoy this story so far, please leave a review!**

Chapter 10:

The lockdown lasted about 12 hours. Luckily, Pip had a secret stash of candy and chips that he had secretly kept hidden from the house-cleaning crews. In other words, he had been stuffing food underneath one of our floorboards. But hey, I wasn't complaining.

All night we snacked food and played little games to pass the time. Hide and Seek seemed to be both of our favorites.

Every once in a while I would think back and wonder what was going on outside at the moment. The shield charm had a soundproof barrier incorporated into it so we could hear absolutely nothing that may have being going on around us. Which made it easy to forget the potentially dangerous situation we were in. Everything had happened so fast… Pip had said this was not the first time something like this had happened here. He told me that the first time this happened they were on lockdown for a whole week. Apparently long-lasting shield charms come with a food supplement charm as well. Pip said the food wasn't very good. That's why he had started hoarding sweets under the floorboard.

We fell asleep somewhere around midnight, waking up around sunrise from the collective retreat of the shield charms. Pip sat up, rubbing his eyes and letting out a huge yawn.I sat up as well, stretching before I got up, and watched the last of the shield charm melt away. Outside I could hear the creaking of doors opening and people slowly venturing out into the corridor."Safe to go out now?" Pip mumbled, still half asleep with a blanket draped over his head. I looked back at the door, the shield charm now completely gone, "Yep. The shield charm was taken away."

Pip nodded sleepily, "Uh huh. Aria took charm away. Safe now," he said, his eyes slowly drooping closed again. Before long, he had dropped back onto his pillow, fast asleep once more. _Maybe I'll go check out the castle... Grab some breakfast, look around... try and find out what the heck happened that forced us into a full-blown lockdown... Yep. I definitely had a few questions that needed answers._

I quietly changed into some new clothes before unlocking our door and stepping outside into the busy corridor that had been vacant just minutes before. People were cautiously wandering around and finding their friends, murmuring in hushed voices. I began wondering down the halls, trying to remember which way we had gone to get to the dining hall… I guess I had made a few wrong turns, because I did not recognize the corridor I was in one bit. Nobody else was in the corridor. The walls were older, cracked with age. Cobblestone floors stretched out to my left and right with long, velvet tapestries complete with gold tassels hanging along the smooth, stone walls.

I must've been near the central part of the castle. The authentic, medieval architecture was amazing… My parents were both architects- they would be so ecstatic to see something like this, so perfectly preserved. I shook my head and really looked around, trying to figure out where the dining hall might be from here.

Coming in from an intersecting hallway, a small servant bustled past, juggling several expensive-looking vases and other fragile trinkets. As he brushed past, his fingers slipped and one of the vases began to slip from the pile. I quickly flashed my hand out and steadied the vase as the little servant yelped in alarm at having almost dropped what I had assumed to be a very expensive decoration. "Thank you, sir," said the little servant boy, just a few years older than Pip, "If that vase hadn't made it back to its pedestal…" he trailed off, his eyebrows knit together in worry.

"Let me help you then," I offered, taking the big vase that had almost fallen. "Oh! Are you sure? Thank you so much, sir! That'll be a huge help! That vase goes on the pedestal allll the way down there," he said, nodding with his head to my right. "I can manage the rest!" he said with a smile as he ambled off with the rest of the decorations piled high in his little arms.

Holding the vase carefully in both hands, I began walking down the corridor, searching for the pedestal that the boy had mentioned. I passed several suits of armor and various portraits as I carried the vase further down the hall. Eventually, I located the empty pedestal a few paces away.

As I headed towards it, I began to hear a couple of voices from a nearby room. Slowing down, I was able to make out who the voices belonged to. It was Aria and Whit.

"That's the second attack this moon! We can't keep this up much longer, and you know it." I heard Aria say in a strained voice.

"That doesn't mean we can _trust_ him! We are better off without him, regardless," Whit snapped back.

"Why? What's your problem, Whit? Why do you seem to hate Shane?" Aria asked, her temper rising.

When I heard my name, I froze in my tracks, right outside the door. _Maybe I'll find out some of the answers that have been on my mind…_ I listened more intently to their conversation, their voices crystal clear with my newfound senses.

"I don't hate _Shane_. That's not the problem. It's his other half: The Cheshire Cat. _He's_ the one that I don't trust," Whit spat in anger.

A cold chill ran through me, but I stayed silent, waiting to hear more. "Why?" Aria asked, "Why do you hate the _Cheshire Cat_ so much then, Whit?" she asked, her voice betraying her confusion and irritation.

"Why?" he repeated darkly, pain so clearly evident in his voice, "The Cheshire Cat _murdered_ my _father_. _That's_ why."

The vase I was holding slipped from my hands and crashed to the hard, stone floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

 **Oooh... That gave me chills just writing it... Another cliffhanger! Anyone see that coming? I doubt it. Tell me what you guys think! Please fav/fol/review if you haven't already! I basically have the whole plot planned out now, but if you guys have any suggestions/requests don't hesitate to share them with me! It's a little shorter than normal chapters, but I hope you still enjoyed the read.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Small recap: Shane overheard Whit and Aria having a heated discussion immediately following the release of the shield charms. Whit has just revealed why he is so against trusting Shane: The Cheshire Cat murdered his father.**

Chapter 11:

That's the thing with regaining long-lost memories: You gain bits and pieces, but you can't recall every detail.

I stared blankly at the shattered vase, Whit's words ringing so painfully in my ears: _"The Cheshire Cat murdered my father. That's why."_

I closed my eyes, my head throbbing as it had yesterday when I regained my memories. It was very blurry, but I could vaguely make out the memory that was replaying itself inside my head. I was the Cheshire Cat… yelling at Whit's father… I couldn't make out the words, but I could feel the anger and hatred that the Cheshire Cat must have harbored at the time… His father was saying something… the memory was too foggy to recall clearly. I felt the familiar sensation that I've gotten when using my new powers, but… magnified. A lot. There was a bright flash and the next thing I saw was vividly clear: A pile of ash and his father's clothes, scorched and tattered, heaped in a diminutive pile at my feet. The feeling of anger, madness, and power still lingered.

My eyes snapped open. _Oh my god…_

My attention jolted back to the present as the large chamber door creaked open in front of me.

"Shane!" Aria yelped, jumping back in shock. Whit appeared at her shoulder, a guarded look on his face. His eyes took in the shattered glass at my feet before looking up and resting his cold stare on me.

 _I wish I had never left my room… How can I… How did… This makes no sense!_

My heart was hammering rapidly against my chest. That tingling feeling of magic had not gone with the vision.

Whit slowly stepped in front of Aria, his eyes a deadly calm, "How much did you—"

I never heard the end of the sentence.

The hallway around me blindingly flashed before my eyes and when the light faded, I was standing inside my dormitory at the foot of my bed. Pip jolted upright, "Ah! W-wait, what? Shane? I didn't hear you come back in…" Pip greeted sleepily, starting to feel around for his teddy bear that had fallen on the floor while he had been sleeping. My heart was racing a million miles a minute. _Did I just… No… that's impossible. How the heck did I do that?!_

I slowly bent down and picked up his lost teddy bear, handing it to him with shaking hands.

"Oh! Uh, thanks…" Pip said looking at me, still confused as to how I got back in here I'm sure.

 _I'm still trying to figure it out myself… I literally just transported here…_

"Shane? You don't look so good… What happened?" Pip said, mimicking my confused frown.

"I was in a different corridor on the other side of the castle… and now I'm back here…" I muttered to myself.

After processing what I had said, Pip jumped up and ran over to me, his grey eyes brightened with excitement. "But that's so cool!" he paused, "Why does that make you sad?" He asked, tilting his head to the side and looking up at me.

"It's… It's not that, buddy," I said quietly, my head still reeling from all that had just happened. I turned my head and noticed that a couple of small candy wrappers littered the floor by Pippin's bed. Pip's stomach growled. "We haven't eaten breakfast yet! You shouldn't be eating candy for breakfast; let's go and eat something," I said, seizing the opportunity to quickly change the subject.

"Maybe this time I go to the dining hall, we won't have to leave and go into a lockdown, yeah?" I joked, half-heartedly.

Pip cracked a tentative smile and nodded before running to the door and heading down to breakfast, his teddy bear still in his arms. As we walked down the various hallways, the aroma of sizzling bacon and fresh-baked pastries drifted towards us.

The tantalizing smell was almost strong enough to distract me from my thoughts… Almost. Pip chatted and pointed out random things as we neared our table, and I just nodded absently, lost in my own mind. Like before, plates and cups were placed on the table along with the silverware.

"Shane?" Pip's voice drifted to me, cutting off my troubled thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You've been standing there for the last three minutes… you okay?" he questioned, knitting his little eyebrows together in concern. I blinked several times before shaking my head and sitting down beside him. "Just… just a lot on my mind right now, Pip. That's all."

Pip shrugged and went back to eating his chocolate chip pancakes that were drenched in maple syrup and topped with whipped cream.

I closed my eyes, forcefully shoving what I had overheard earlier to the back of my mind. What do I want for breakfast? _Biscuits and Gravy?_ There was a small spark of energy and I opened my eyes to find a steaming plate full of fluffy biscuits that have been smothered in mouth-watering gravy. I don't think I'll ever get used to this…

 _Milk._ My mouth curved up into a slight smile as I watched my empty glass magically procure the milk that I had requested in my head. I quickly dug in and began eating the hot breakfast. I was starving after last night's dinner 'cancellation'. Lockdown on my first day. Plates that give you whatever you wanted to eat. Other people with mysterious marks on their skin, like me.  Magic. It was all so new and exciting…

Life had been so normal just a few days ago… My smile dropped and I lowered my eyes to the floor. And now suddenly I'm an amnesiac murderer with unimaginable powers that I don't even know how to control…

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and continued eating. Pip was scarfing down his last bite of pancake and I was swallowing my last mouthful of biscuit when I saw Aria stride in with Whit at her heels. I nearly choked on my biscuit.

Her eyes landed on me immediately, "There you are!" she called out, her gaze softening slightly as she saw the fear and dread on my face. In contrast, Whit's dark eyes seemed to pierce right through me… A chill ran down my spine.

They both approached our table, gaining a few strange looks from others seated nearby. "We need to talk. Now." Whit said, anger and distrust evident in the way he glared down at me. Aria briefly caught my eye and gave a subtle nod.

Pip shrank back and I heard his small voice quiver, "What's the matter? Shane? What's wrong? Wait- what are you doing?!" he yelped.

Whit had dragged me up from my seat by the collar of my shirt. In an instant, he slipped a pair of metal cuffs over my wrists, the surface etched with glowing blue symbols. _What have I gotten myself into?_ I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep from panicking.

I heard Aria's exasperated voice, "Was that really necessary, Whit?" There was an irritated huff, "Let's go." Whit gave me a harsh nudge and I opened my eyes, Aria beckoning me to leave the dining room and follow her through one of the connecting halls. Whit followed close behind, his stare burning into my back, raising the hair on the back of my neck. The few people eating breakfast stole fleeting glances in our direction.

After a few minutes of walking in dead silence, the three of us arrived back at the same old wooden doors. Aria placed her right palm against it, a light flashed, then the door creaked open. "Come on in. We have a lot to discuss."

 **I know it's been a while, sorry guys! I hope you're still enjoying the story. If anybody has any more Wonderland characters or general fairy tale characters you want me to include in the story just let me know! I already have specific plans for some but I do have some room for suggestions/requests! Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far!**


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